Under the Dome Updates: Marijuana bill advances; lobbying day on Medicaid, abortion
On busy days in North Carolina politics, it can be a challenge to keep up with the news.
Reading all of our Under the Dome coverage or following our Twitter account — let alone trying to follow all #ncpol tweets — might start feeling like standing in front of a firehose.
So welcome to Under the Dome Updates. Here, we’ll offer an at-a-glance version of the news of the day, with links to follow for more.
We’ll publish these live updates on days when our team is tracking a lot of activity at the Legislative Building. Today looks to be one of those days, with medical marijuana up for a possible vote in the state Senate at 4 p.m., and a bill on the move that would require sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
For longtime readers of The News & Observer, Under the Dome Updates may bring to mind our old Under the Dome blog (RIP). For newer readers (perhaps younger ones asking: what’s a blog?), it’s a way to get an idea of our in-depth and comprehensive coverage and decide if you want to subscribe.
5 p.m.: Medical marijuana clears initial Senate vote
The North Carolina Senate voted 36-10 on Tuesday with broad, bipartisan support to legalize medical marijuana. Another vote would be needed before the bill goes to the House.
The bill died last year in the House, but its prospects there could be improving.
All 10 opponents were Republicans, including Sen. Jim Burgin of Harnett County, who said that marijuana isn’t medicine, and hasn’t undergone the “rigorous testing” medicine goes through. He also said he felt the bill could lead to full legalization of marijuana.
12:30 p.m.: Lawmakers meet with abortion opponents
Pastors, parishioners and other supporters of stricter abortion laws from around the state filled the hallways of the Legislative Building Tuesday to kick off a two-day effort to urge Republicans to coalesce around a so-called heartbeat bill.
Advocates picked up fliers calling on the General Assembly to pass a six-week abortion ban, and spread out throughout the building to speak to lawmakers about the abortion bill Republicans have been working on behind closed doors for several weeks now.
A large group of pastors gathered in the auditorium and heard from House Speaker Tim Moore and several other Republicans, including Reps. John Bell, Jason Saine and Jeff McNeely.
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker was also at the legislature to help advocate for a six-week ban. Before addressing the group of pastors, Walker, who himself has served as a pastor, told The News & Observer that Tuesday’s effort was a critical opportunity for abortion opponents.
“You can literally feel it in the atmosphere, that this has been a day in the making — I would say, a day that many people in the evangelical community have been praying for, for decades,” Walker said.
11:30 a.m.: Beth Wood addresses hit-and-run accident
State Auditor Beth Wood told the NC Insider her hit-and-run crash does not define her and she would “absolutely not” resign.
Wood spoke briefly outside a committee meeting at the Legislative Building.
“I would just say that if I could go back and change my decision that night it would be different, but all I can do moving forward is take responsibility for the accident and fix what was broken,” Wood said.
11 a.m.: Medicaid expansion advocates
The North Carolina Coalition on Aging, a statewide advocacy group, is at the Legislative Building to urge lawmakers to increase and improve health care access for older North Carolinians, via Medicaid expansion and other steps.
They called for more spending and better pay for direct care workers, who at times lack health insurance, said Heather Burkhardt, executive director of the coalition. As staffing shortages worsen, the older adult population in the state is growing, she said.
Earlier, advocates with American Cancer Society gathered on Halifax Mall outside the Legislative Building.
They were here for Cancer Action Day, where they expected to convene about 100 cancer survivors and advocates calling for Medicaid expansion. Republican Sen. Ralph Hise of Spruce Pine was a planned speaker.
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9 a.m.: Traffic snarled near Legislative Building
Traffic is a mess around the Legislative Building. A sign of a busy day at the N.C. General Assembly?
Possibly, but we’re seeing backups around downtown in addition to the usual rush hour traffic on Raleigh’s Beltline. So lawmakers aren’t entirely to blame.
Regardless, with a potential Senate vote on medical marijuana, and advocates for health care and older Americans pushing for various priorities, there’s plenty going on Tuesday.
Maybe the most notable gathering is a group of anti-abortion activists in a court at the Legislative Building. A few dozen of them are also demonstrating in front of the building, holding up signs at passing cars.
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This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Under the Dome Updates: Marijuana bill advances; lobbying day on Medicaid, abortion."
